Where and how you’re most likely to die taking a selfie

One minute you’re sunning yourself in the glory of your own reflection on Snapchat, the next minute you’re falling off the side of a cliff.

Obviously, this is no laughing matter. But selfies are ubiquitous. On any given week the word selfie appears is mentioned in 365,000 Facebook posts and 150,000 tweets. A search of Instagram hashtags turns up more than 50 million results for the word.

Now, a new study by Priceonomics has found that of the 49 selfie-related deaths they found that 75 per cent were male, and the most common age of death is 21.

India has the highest number of selfie-related deaths.

Though women take significantly more selfies than men, 36 of the 49 selfie-related fatality victims were male. Studies have shown that men are two times more likely to take recreational risks than women are, even when it comes to selfies.

Obviously a bad idea

Researchers at Ohio State University found that men who frequently post selfies score significantly higher in the traits of “narcissism” and “psychopathy” in personality tests. As a result, when these men take a selfie, they brush off potential dangers in favour of validation and personal gain.

According to Priceonomics the most likely cause of death was a fall from a height, followed by drowning.